Proud to be an Introvert

Susan Cain, a proclaimed introvert, discussed the importance of introversion to creativity in her speech The Power of Introverts on Ted.com. She began by telling a story of when she was younger and went to camp for the summer with a suitcase packed with books only to realize that she was expected to forget about the books and be adventurous and social. The rest of her speech focused on her own journey to overcome introversion. Eventually, she realized that being an introvert was something she should capitalize on instead of hide. This is because research actually shows that if an introvert is allowed the freedom to be alone, he/she can produce wonderful ideas that could really contribute to breakthroughs in today's world. Unfortunately, she believes that modern society has tried to suppress introverts both in school and in the workplace by forcing them to collaborate with others. Although Susan is not saying there is something wrong with teamwork and developing social skills, she is saying that there is something important that is missing that will fully develop introverts into great people.

Perhaps the greatest part about Susan's speech is the fact that the entire time I was listening to her, I found myself identifying with her and silently saying yes to everything she said. Like Susan, I am very much an introvert. I grew up as an only child in the country. My biggest hobby when I was little was, like Susan, reading. There were very few times I could be found without a book in my hand. As I grew older, I began to put aside the books and focus on activities that would hopefully make me more of an extrovert: basketball, volleyball, dance, Student Senate, etc. Even though I remained one of the quietest people in school, I struggled to be seen as an outgoing individual so that I would not be forgotten. Like Susan, one of my biggest frustrations in school was being forced into group projects. There's nothing I dreaded more because I would much rather work alone. I discovered that when I was in a group, I was very much of a follower and agreed with whatever the more dominant person in the group said. My ideas very rarely were heard. Now, I still struggle with making my ideas known. My junior year of undergraduate school, I went to Nicaragua for the whole month of May for a leadership class. I believe that I would be a great leader if given the chance. I know my capabilities, but unfortunately, not everybody else does. Even though I had hoped this trip would be an opportunity for me to develop myself and become a true leader, I found that the exact opposite happened because there was such a huge focus on being a team while we were there.

Susan's speech has made me realize that it is important to be myself instead of the person I believe society wants me to be. I do have a lot to offer this world, and I can be a very creative person when I set my mind to it. Pursuing a future career in the entertainment business will require me to step out of my comfort zone. However, I also need to keep in mind that I will do my best work when I am true to myself. This does not mean I will spend my entire life in complete solitude. Instead, it simply means that I need to, as Susan put it in her speech, "unplug for awhile". Listening to Susan's speech made me realize and come to terms with who I am and how I best function. Now, I can truly say, I am proud to be an introvert.

A Little Hard Work Can Go a Long Way

How does an ordinary person become both famous and successful? According to JC Fisher of The Texas Tenors, it can be done by working hard your entire life. He is the perfect example of the product of hard work. Growing up in the small town of Pleasant Hope, MO, JC was able to build the foundation that would serve him later in life. Now, he is one of the members of the increasingly popular group The Texas Tenors. His journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable.

As a young boy, JC had no aspirations to become a musician or singer. He grew up on a farm with several sisters and parents that were adamant that their children worked hard and pushed them to do well. As such, they were not given anything—instead, they had to work for it. They were raised to do the right thing. According to JC, even today he asks himself when faced with a problem, “What would Dad do?” In school, JC was an athlete. In particular, he was involved with the basketball team. Believe it or not, his involvement with the basketball team is what launched his music career.

JC and his dad courtesy of JC Fisher

At one high school basketball game, the school was searching for someone to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Although JC had very little experience with singing, he agreed to do it. As a result, he wowed the crowd. Even his own mother had no idea he was going to be singing for that game and was shocked at his voice. JC could not believe the reaction he got from the crowd. In truth, he got a thrill from it. From then on, he embraced his talent and became more involved with singing by performing regularly in church and at school.

After graduating from high school, JC went on to Southwest Missouri State for three years before transferring to Wichita State University. It was while at WSU that JC became serious about pursuing music as a career. The program at the school attracted him, and it was with the help of Rosemary Owens that he was able to grow as a performer. He began to take voice lessons, and as part of those lessons, he started listening to classical voices. At that point, he began to try to imitate several of the artists he listened to. Eventually, he took on a few solos that he performed in Germany with the choir. Upon graduating from WSU with his Bachelor’s degree in Music, JC began to put together his music career. Since then, he has dedicated much of his life toward developing his career. This hard work and dedication has turned out to be extremely important. According to an article on career success, “There is nothing more important for your career than hard work and dedication. You don’t have to love what you do, but you should be dedicated and care about doing the best you can. If you don’t care or have the drive it won’t get you anywhere in your career.”

It was while JC was one of the singing waiters at the Macaroni Grill that his life began to change. Some people that were in charge of putting together the Miss Kansas Pageant heard him sing and asked him to sing a duet from Phantom of the Opera with Miss America. This pageant happened to be where he met Jennifer Vannatta, Miss Kansas 1998 and his future wife. Shortly after the pageant, JC embarked on a 4-month program to Italy where he was able to perform in the Puccini Festival. He stayed with a family that spoke no English and became fully immersed in Italian culture. It was a great experience for him, and it allowed him to further develop his classical voice. Upon returning to the United States, JC put together his own show that he was able to take on cruise ships around the world. He sailed on more than 75 different cruise ships as a performer. In fact, it was on one of these cruise ships in 1999 that he met Marcus Collins, now a close friend and fellow member of The Texas Tenors.

JC and Jennifer courtesy of JC Fisher

Several years later, JC was working on a construction site and met John Hagen, a classically trained musician and now third member of The Texas Tenors. They developed a friendship while working together and eventually decided to put together a group with JC’s music teacher as the third person. JC sent in a recording of the group to America’s Got Talent. The response from AGT was that they needed to try again the next year. The next year, JC asked Marcus Collins if he would join the group. This time, AGT asked them to come to Houston for the audition. The trio graduated through the ranks of AGT and came in fourth place as the highest ranking vocal group in the history of the show. Ever since, The Texas Tenors have been touring around the world, including to the United Kingdom and China. They even perform over 60 shows each year at the Starlite Theatre in Branson. To date, they have performed over 650 concerts together since AGT. This past December, their very own PBS special entitled “You Should Dream”, named after one of their original songs, was aired for the first time. Since then, they have been rapidly growing in popularity. In fact, their newest CD has spent the last 11 weeks in the Billboard Top 10 for the Classical Crossover chart.

Photo courtesy of Helen Flynt

Somehow, JC has handled the rise to fame very well. He has worked hard to get to where he is today and credits his upbringing to achieving his goals. As he states, “God will give you the opportunity. You need to take that opportunity and work harder than everyone else. Then you will succeed more than everyone else.” According to one article regarding the importance of hard work, “Success is not measured by the position that you are in today but the amount of hard work you put in and the number of obstacles that you overcome to reach your goal.” Additionally, he believes it is important to follow your gut and have a positive outlook. He still maintains his humble attitude and instead uses the group’s popularity as a platform for causes he and the other group members believe in. They have the opportunity to make a difference through organizations such as Homes for Our Troops and Child Fund International. JC also would like to eventually work with children with disabilities.

JC has a soft spot for children. This can be seen through one of his favorite pastimes: spending time with his three children, Jackson, Jenson, and Jennings. Unfortunately, being on the road so much means that he is away from his family quite a bit. He states this as being one of the most difficult parts of the job. However, that means that the time he does get to spend with them is that much more special. Other hobbies that he has had to more or less give up due to his busy schedule include hunting, fishing, and pick-up basketball games.

In five years, JC has even more goals in mind to work toward. He anticipates new shows, new albums, and even wider name recognition. Also, he would like to be able to play his guitar much better. Although he only recently began to play the guitar, he has worked very hard at being able to play it in select portions of the show. He plans to continue working at it and eventually become an excellent player. Also, JC would like to have the opportunity to help more people and to have both his immediate and extended families be financially and emotionally secure.

JC and his children courtesy of JC Fisher

JC is the perfect example of how a little hard work can go a long way. There have been many obstacles along the way, but he overcame them and continued to work toward his goals. His journey from Pleasant Hope, MO to a prominent member of the group The Texas Tenors shows that an ordinary person has what it takes to achieve his/her dreams. 

Photo courtesy of Helen Flynt

Perseverance, Proficiency, and the Music Industry

As a young child, I was always encouraged to follow my dreams, set goals, and never give up. This theme of perseverance is something that sticks with a person throughout life. It motivates football players to work hard in the hopes of making it in the NFL. It inspires young booklovers to eventually become authors. It also is a common theme in the music industry. As one article on perseverance puts it, "You just have to be willing to not walk off the field when everybody else would have and you'll be the person who wins because you're the last one on the field. That is something that Brian Zerbe, a bassist in Branson, MO, discovered throughout his journey.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet with Zerbe to find out his story. It is easy to assume that people in his position came by it naturally as a result of talent. As he will attest, however, this is not the case. It takes much more than talent to make a living as a musician.

Zerbe was exposed to music at a very young age because his father was a music teacher. He began playing the violin at age 5. It wasn’t until he was older that he noticed that the liner notes on a Carpenter’s record mentioned an electric bass. Up until that point, he had never heard of it, and he had definitely never seen one. Still, it triggered something inside of him. To him, it sounded like fun. At that point, he decided to switch from playing the violin to playing the upright bass.

Zerbe playing his upright bass

 After graduating from high school, Zerbe, originally from Michigan, decided to start school at North Texas State.  He had two possible career paths in mind: journalism and music. One day, Zerbe saw a report on television about a hunting accident. He recalls that someone had accidentally shot a hunting buddy. He also noted that the person covering the story was disrespectful because the camera remained trained on the man who was bawling because of what he had done. Believing that this was extremely insensitive, Zerbe realized that there are many journalists like that; they will do whatever it takes to have a good story. He decided he wanted nothing to do with that, and from then on, his chosen path became music.

Two years into his schooling, Zerbe made the decision to leave for a club tour with a band. Unfortunately, the tour failed. Still, Zerbe never returned to school. Instead, he bounced around from club to club and took gigs wherever he could for awhile (even spending a year and a half at an amusement park). While many people would have given up at this point and decided they were not cut out for a career in music, Zerbe did not. Having many influences both in jazz and in pop music, Zerbe grabbed bits and pieces from many people. This assisted him in developing his own unique style. He believes that it is vital for an aspiring musician to become as proficient on the instrument as possible and to be able to play a wide variety of styles. This means there needs to be a lot of practice, and Zerbe definitely recommends practicing with a metronome because nothing is more important than having a good grasp of time. As one article written by Psychology Today states regarding practice, it is about the "quality of time spent practicing rather than quantity". Becoming proficient through quality practice is the key. Eventually, all of Zerbe's hard work and determination paid off.

At one point, Zerbe auditioned for a contract on a cruise ship. He was told to call in January to see if there was something available. At that point, they had nothing and told him to call back in February. When he called back in February, they told him to call back in June or July. Instead, he called at the end of April. The person he talked to said that he was assigned to a ship and all they needed to know was where to send his uniform. Had he not been perseverant and waited until June or July to call, he most likely would have received a call on the day the ship was leaving wondering why he wasn’t there. This experience taught him the importance of being available at all times and being ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Zerbe spent 13 years as a musician on cruise ships. He loved it because he never knew what he would be playing next and thrived on the variety. Eventually, Zerbe moved to Branson. He started out playing for ShojiTabuchi, played for #1 Hits of the 60’s for 5 years, and then landed his current position at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater playing for Legends in Concert.

After the rough road that Zerbe traveled at the beginning of his music career, he finally found a position where he is extremely happy and content. He loves the fact that every show has its own challenges, as well as variety. He also is happy with the fact that he is no longer on the road and can remain in Branson with his family, including his two daughters. Additionally, it gives him time to pursue his other major interest: cooking.

I found myself fascinated while listening to him talk about his cooking. As it turns out, he is not only interested in cooking, but just as he likes to challenge himself with his music, he also likes to challenge himself with his cooking. While on cruise ships, he discovered many foods that he loved but for which he could never find a recipe. So he strives to recreate the recipes on his own. I certainly can’t say I know too many people that have spent 15 years trying to recreate an orange dipping sauce they had in Cozumel!

After having a wonderful conversation with Zerbe, I was able to attend the show he is currently playing for, Elvis Lives. It was really enjoyable to see how his hard work has paid off and the great results that he produces. The same could be said of all of the other singers, dancers, and musicians in the show. It is only playing in Branson until February 18, so I would highly recommend checking it out before then. It truly is amazing how far a little perseverance can take a person. Whether it’s to the NFL, a publishing company, or, in Zerbe’s case, to Branson, the sky is the limit if you are willing to work for it. 

Zerbe playing with the rest of the band for Dean Z